Cumberland host to the BC Bike Race – June 30th

10402689_10154341438090451_1090277815773128543_nMonday June 30th, over 500 racers from 28 countries will roll down Dunsmuir Ave, working up through almost 50km’s of the Cumberland Trail network.

  • Race start is 8:30am
  • Shuttles to the cheer zone at the start of Teapot at 9/10/11am
  • Kids race Registration 10am, race at 11am Village Park

 

BC Bike Race – The “Ultimate Singletrack Experience” has captured the imagination of the world – For many this seven-day adventure represents the ‘bucket list’ journey of a lifetime, for others it is a heated battle on the most amazing terrain possible.

What if you rode through the wood with the hands at the hub like Tron

The top contenders this year will vie for a title that begins on the legendary trails of the North Shore and finishes in the mountains surrounding Whistler.

There are no official teams of three but you might end up making it one if you jive right.

The battle heats up as the top three contenders from last years Open Men’s category return to begin where they left off: defending Champion Kris Sneddon (CAN), runner up Spencer Paxson (USA), and 3rd place finisher, Eric “the Viking’ Knudson (DEN). The international battle to be crowned the “King of Singletrack” will also see challenges from other stage race winners: Oliver Zurbrugg (SWISS), Carlos Lizalde (MEX), Barry Wicks (USA) and Jason Sager (USA).

Hair sandwich at Campbell River.

The bearded Viking having fun with Tippie, but show him the trail and he will attack

Sonke and Hovey on the rocks.

The Open Women’s team looks fairly unbeatable with former World Champion and Olympian, Catharine Pendrel(CAN) teaming up with Maghalie Rochette (CAN). While the Open Women’s Solo field oozes talent with Wendy Simms (CAN) set to defend her title against Olympian Leah Davison(USA) and endurance specialist Sonya Looney(USA).

It s not a runway. Wendy Simms Kona holds the Solo and Enduro overall. Jaclyn Shapel Liv Giant Austrailia is closing in after today at 1 27 back.

Wendy on the Sunshine Coast, also crushing the Enduro.

Of note: Peter Reid the 3 x World Ironman Champion has been training hard and will certainly keep the other top racers honest in their singletrack efforts.

From North Vancouver via Cumberland on Vancouver Island, to Powell River and Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, over to Squamish and the final day in Whistler this 2014 BC Bike Race will connect some the of best trail networks in the world into one amazing week of mountain biking. The riders will travel 310 kilometers, climb and descend nearly the height of Mount Everest, 8733m before they finish this journey.

The Enduro special segments are a highlight to each day - 13 in total over the week give riders a different set of bragging rights. photo Dave Silver

Changes for the 2014 Event –

This years BC Bike Race includes a brand new opening stage on the hallowed North Shore of Vancouver, a place where the global history of mountain biking has taken many of its cues. As well a completely new Cumberland course for stage 2. The North Shore’s trail selections and Cumberland’s reflect the new-school trail building style that is synonymous with the words ‘pump’ and ‘flow’. With the trails being developed so well and so fast in all the communities along the route, the opportunities to showcase and highlight the work and efforts of the trail builders couldn’t be missed.

Powell river and it s beach are a highlight of the race.

As the week long stage race progresses the changes become less obvious but nonetheless important for overall rider satisfaction. The route stays on course for stage 3, Powell River with more singletrack handcrafted for BC Bike Race. Two nights will be spent on the gorgeous Willingdon Beach, while some minor changes to the Sunshine Coast point-to-point stages were made to remove unrewarded climbs and add some reprieve to weary legs mid-week. Squamish has a new feature climbing trail called ‘50 Shades of Green’ that leads to a new descent called “Ruperts”. Stage 7 in Whistler will also see some adjustments to the Whistler Bike Park segment: Crank it up has been replaced by Ninja Cougar, Karate Monkey, Ho Chi Min Trail and the always favorite Heart of Darkness.

BCBR 2014

Registered Racer List: Here

We hope you get stoked for a summer of riding, follow the Story and Results here: www.bcbikerace.com

Registration for 2015, begins July 7th at 12 pm noon.

 

 

Want to see more about the 2013 Race? Check the following Video

Seven: The BC Bike Race Movie from BC Bike Race on Vimeo.

 

SEVEN a documentary by Aaron Larocque about the BC Bike Race has been released to the public. The movie is now available on Pinkbike after a successful screening at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver with over 400 attendees.

The release of SEVEN just days before BC Bike Race gets set to roll, will kick off the 8th eighth edition, July 29th in North Vancouver.

This documentary will showcase the deeper connection between the participants and the journey that is called the ‘Ultimate Singletrack Experience’. This odyssey through the host communities and along this, now famous, circle route through ancient Rainforests, is all set against the rugged scenery of coastal British Columbia.

“BC Bike Race is an event about people from different backgrounds coming together to share and experience some of the best mountain biking in the world. I think ‘Seven’ really reflects that experience. The people and personalities that shape the event each year are what inspired this film. I’d like to thank the many people that helped make this film possible, but most of all I want to thank the riders whose experience we were allowed to capture”. Said director Aaron Larocque

“While each year only 600 riders are able to do the event, making a documentary to share the experience seemed like a great way to include the whole world. Our aim was to make people laugh, cry, to not be too serious and at the end of the day inspire people to get out there and ride their bikes. This journey that is the BC Bike Race is amazing and it’s so difficult to translate cross country riding into a story, but we think in 39 minutes we have more than achieved an amazing, inspirational story”. Said BCBR president and executive producer Dean Payne.

Pull up a chair, grab a beer, relax and enjoy SEVEN available exclusively on Pinkbike to watch for the next 24 hours.

We hope you get stoked for a summer of riding, follow the Race and 2014 story as it all unfolds, June 29-July 5th here:www.bcbikerace.com

MOMAR takes over Cumberland Sept 21st

Come be part of the event and cheer on the adventure racers as they work their way through the trails and streets of Cumberland. There will be a lot of traffic that day both on the trails and the road between the village and the Cumberland Lake Campground so give yourself a bit more time.

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Recently voted the “Best Adventure Race in Western Canada” by Get Out There Magazine for a fourth year in a row, the MOMAR enters its 14th anniversary season with an impressive 35 race history.

The MOMAR is an incredible weekend experience that will test your mental and physical limits. You will navigate your way through a series of checkpoints on either the 30km Sport Course or on the 50km Enduro Course.

For the 2013 race season, we make our only stop in the historic mining town of Cumberland on September 21st. This race will require teams to kayak, mountain bike, trail run, orienteer, and trek their way through a challenging courses on some of the best mountain biking trails on the West Coast.

From the most novice of racers to the most seasoned of athletes, our adventure races will test all of your faculties and prove to be one of your biggest endurance accomplishments of the year.

 

An Adventurous Experience in Cumberland – MOMAR Style from Bryan Tasaka on Vimeo.

Dodge City Enduro Sept 15th

Join the United Riders of Cumberland on Sunday Sept 15th, for the first ever Cumberland Enduro!

DodgeCityEnduro

The course consists of three timed downhill stages and a few short pedal sections between each race segment.

Race pickup party on Saturday Sept 14th at Dodge City Cycles with beer from Lighthouse Brewing and pizza from Rider’s Pizza!

Post race food on Sunday are the world famous Waverley Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

For the ladies there will be a Course Preview intro to Enduro on Saturday.

Come for the weekend, and enjoy some of the new Cumberland trails!

Course Details

Starting and ending in the Chinatown Heritage Park, the course will include:

  1. Bear Buns
  2. Teapot / That Dam Trail
  3. Bronco’s Perseverance

We will have a Free kids race  for 12 and under consisting of just Bronco’s Perseverance

Race Entry Pre-registration Only

Race fee $40 – includes post race food and draw prizes

See the registration on Webscorer
Register for the Dodge City Enduro

Saturday Ladies only Preview & Practice

Curious what Enduro is but would like to practice first? We will be hosting a Primer for Enduro on Saturday at 11am to check out one segment of the course, explain how the event and timing works and let you run one segment with mock timing.

Ladies Preview & Practice will be by donation to the Cumberland Jump & Skills Park.

See the registration on Webscorer
Register for the Ladies Preview & Practice

Important Details

  • Race fee $40
  • Cycling BC License or $10 One Day Insurance required
  • Race Registration closes Wednesday Sept 11th at Midnight
  • Race Package pickup is Saturday Sept 14th from 5-9pm at Dodge City Cycles
  • Mandatory racer meeting Sunday Sept 15th at 10:30am
  • Expert Riders and Kids begin at 11:00am
  • Intermediate and Beginner riders begin at approx 11:30am
  • Intermediate  and Beginner riders will start a 30 meters down Bear Buns (after the first steep rocks)
  • Schedule subject to change

Course Map

enduro course-overhead

enduro course

Elevation Profile

course-profile-enduro-2013

 

Bearclaw Invitational takes flight next Friday!

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It’s that time of the year again folks, The Bearclaw invitational is once again set to go down on the slopes of Mount Washington.

Mount Washington is located on beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia and has been the host of the Bearclaw invitational since 2006. Twenty five of the worlds best international slope style riders will once again throw down for the $35,000 prize purse. The weekend of the event has been moved to Aug 22nd-24th.

In addition to the pro event there will be a amateur contest as well so all the shredders out there can throw down on the smaller side of the course.

The top two riders from the amateur event will be invited to compete in the pro event so all you shredders out there that want to break into the Freeride World Tour, this is your chance, so put it on your calendars and don’t miss out.

Seating runs will go down on Friday evening for the pros, the finals will be held on Saturday at 1:00 pm for the pros.

The amateur contest will be held on Friday at 2:00 pm

Competitors that are under the age of 18 please read waiver details on the website.

Full results and more info online at www.bearclawinvitational.com

August 22nd (Thursday)

Practice and registration 2:00pm – dusk
August 23rd (Friday)

Practice 10:00am – 2:00pm
Amateur comp 2:00pm
Pro practice 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Pro qualifying 5:00pm
Practice/shred session after qualifying (light permitting)
August 24th (Saturday)

Practice 9:00am – 1:00 pm
Pro finals 1:00pm
Whip off comp 6:00pm

BC Bike Race Wrap Up Video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qn3-cbR-Q&w=625]

BC Bike Race – Another resounding success for year seven. Participants from 26 countries all over the globe whooped and hollered through the sunshine and singletrack of this year’s BC Bike Race. Smiles were the mainstay of the week. While the hot sun attempted to wear down the riders, nothing could stop the high flow of energy that filled the trails and base camps.

Under the RedBull Arch on course animation entertains the riders as if the single track weren't enough.
Under the RedBull Arch on course animation entertains the riders as if the single track weren’t enough.

Finishing in Whistler after seven days of delirious singletrack and repeated enduro segments highlighting the flow that BC is known for, veteran racers pumped high fives and simultaneously cried.

There are no official teams of three, but you might end up making it one if you jive right.
There are no official teams of three, but you might end up making it one if you jive right.

Registration got off at an unprecedented rate, already at 75%. After the initial opening for registration July 7th at 12 pm, noon, the inbound server crashed due to the high volume of demand. Once back up, the server processed 170 registrants in 60 seconds. Within another hour old records had fallen and 415 racers of a possible 550 spots were sold.

Clear cuts become opportunities for long stretches of wicked single track.
Clear cuts become opportunities for long stretches of wicked single track.

BC Bike Race the top ‘Bucket List’ for mountain bikers around the world maintained the highest standards for courses, food, safety and fun over seven days as nearly 1000 people (staff, participants and support) travelled through six lower mainland communities: Cumberland, Campbell River, Powell River, Sechelt, Squamish and Whistler.

A base camp dream right beside the ocean with a west facing sunset.
A base camp dream right beside the ocean with a west facing sunset.

2014 already has 24 countries represented and less than 200 spots remaining, the chance to exceed 2012, 33 international countries is still a possibility.

Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zambia.

Many thanks to the Volunteers who make BC Bike Race an amazing success
Many thanks to the Volunteers who make BC Bike Race an amazing success

Photo Credits: Margus Riga, Dave Silver
Video Credits: Connor Macleod, Aaron Larocque, Nic Genovese, Pelle Gustavs, Chris Fisher, Roland Choe

BC Bike Race arrives this weekend

The BC Bike Race is ready to roll with a stacked roster of singletrack hounds salivating at the mouth to get out and race the ‘Ultimate Singletrack Experience’. The race begins on June 30th in Cumberland and finishes in Whistler on July 6th, 2013. Over the course of the week, the 550 riders will cover some 217 miles, 25,000 feet of climbing and more than 75 percent of those miles will be on single track–a fact that sets the BC Bike Race apart from a good many marathon-style races.

BCBikeRaceStart

Year seven of the race will see few changes to a course that has been tweaked to perfection over the previous six years. Each town along the course provides a large selection of ‘handmade’ trails that have for 359 days or since the last edition received some serious trail attention; buffing, shaping and carving the legendary trails into premium condition for this year’s adventure.

The Enduro is back, 13 chip timed special segments will highlight some of the best descents of each stage. Ranging in length from 1 kilometer to 2.5 kilometers, the Enduro ‘the race within the race’ will continue to reward the technically savvy over the engine-only types.

While registration takes place in North Vancouver July 28 and 29, the 550 racers from 26 different countries will hit the dirt, flowing singletrack in Cumberland. From there the journey will unfold crossing the Pacific Ocean three times on the BC Ferries, visiting Campbell River, Powell River, Sechelt and Squamish to it’s conclusion in Whistler BC.

Last year’s champions Neal Kindree and Wendy Simms will take on challengers from all over the globe as they defend their right to wear the leaders yellow jersey on the final podium.

Top Male Competitors:
Neal Kindree – Defending his 2012 BCBR title as the fastest man over seven days of singletrack. Neal hails from the local town of Squamish and has been a member of the Canadian National Team.

Matt Hadley – Team Xpresso, The overall Canada Cup winner in 2011, Matt placed 4th at BCBR in 2012 and is back to climb higher on the podium.

Cory Wallace – Team Kona, An endurance specialist, Cory was 2nd at the 24 hours World in 2010, won a stage at BCBR in 2012 and was 2nd at the Mongolia Bike Challenge in 2011. He is poised from some imminent greatness will this be his year?

Guido Thaler – Team Craft Rocky Mountain Bikes, A European Marathon Specialist hailing form Austria back for his second run at the Podium after last years eye opening experience and 7th place.

Carter Hovey – Team Orbea, He nearly won the Mongolia Bike Challenge in 2012 and is on track to be one of the fastest stage race specialists. He was 6th at BCBR in 2012 and certainly hopes to move onto the podium this time around.

Sam Whitingham – Naked Bikes, Known as the fastest man in the World Sam currently holds the World Land Speed record in the human powered division, his mountain bikes skills are exceptional and this will be his first time at the BC Bike Race.

Joe Murray – Voodoo Cycles, A Hall of Fame inductee and Industry Legend. His 12 straight wins in 1985 have to this day never been repeated in the US – Here for the sheer pleasure of singletrack Joe is never to be counted out.

Top Women Competitors:
Wendy Simms – Team Kona, The defending champion, Wendy has many accolades to her name including 6 Canadian National Cyclo-Cross titles, but the BCBR is near and dear to her heart as are her two sons.

Anika Bergman – Team Craft Rocky Mountain Bikes, 2012 Swedish National Champion and former resident of Whistler where she was bitten by the singletrack bug. Together with her experience and her upward rising career this could be a great race.

Top Enduro Competitors:
Wade Simmons – Rocky Mountain Bikes, The Godfather of Free Ride and winner of the first RedBull Rampage, Wade is back for the second time around having had so much fun last year.

Andreas Hestler -Team Rocky Mountain Bikes, Winner of the BC Bike Race Enduro 2012, Canadian Olympian and 5 x Canadian National Champion.

Joe Schwartz – Team Kona, one of the first Free Riders to compete at the Redbull Rampage. Joe is a certified ACMG ski guide and coaches bikes between global adventures in the summer. A truly all around rider and legend in the sport.

Cheer Zone in Cumberland.

On Sunday, Teapot will be the second Enduro timed stage, and BC Bike Race wants to make it loud! Come on out and we’ll give you noise makers, cowbells and more to give the riders one last push to the finish.

12 Hours of Cumberland – June 15th

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The coveted mugs for the winners!

The United Riders of Cumberland are pleased to announce the 10th annual running of the 12 hours of Cumberland!! This fun filled endurance event gives riders the opportunity to compete for 12 hours, racing on some of Cumberland’s world famous singletrack. The course is designed for all ages and abilities!

Riders can compete in the solo category for the coveted Twelve Hour Cup or for the equally coveted Beardsley Pottery mugs in a team of 2 or 4 men or women. There is also the option to have a mixed team of men and women….a perfect fit for racing families!

Registration for the 12 Hours of Cumberland will start at 7am on June 15th at the No.6 Mine Park and end just prior to race start at 8am. Race fee is $50 and includes tons of race support items.

Features include, Cumberland doughnuts, greens from Eatmore Sprouts, fruit from Seeds Food Market, and UROC’s famous BBQ. There will be lo ts of fun forkids in the park including an art zone led by Earth Art Studios. For a course map and other information on memberships please check out www.unitedridersofcumberland.com or Like us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/UnitedRidersofCumberland.

Trail Bicycles Hosts Norco & Trek Demo Days

trail-bicycles-demo-daySet aside May 25 & 26 for your chance to demo some sweet bikes at the shop! Both Norco and Trek trailers will be on-site full of road and mountain bikes waiting for you to ride!!

–>Saturday May 25th: self guided riding day.
–>Sunday May 26th: guided shuttle day.

Shuttles will be leaving at 10am Sunday so please arrive ahead of time to get set up on a bike. After shuttling up a storm on Sunday, feel free to indulge as Gary will be on BBQ duty cooking up delicious burgers – snacks, drinks and cheer will be plenty as well.

If there is a specific bike or time you require for demoing please call or speak with shop staff ahead of time.

trail-demoday-poster

Bearclaw Invitational is confirmed for 2013

Good news for concerned mountain bikers and free ride fans on Vancouver Island, this morning Darren Berrecloth confirmed on Twitter that the 2013 edition of his home grown competition would be going ahead as planned on August 22nd to 24th.

#Bearclawinvitational at mt washington is still happening on aug 22nd-24th. Just thought id throw that out there.

Concern over the future of the event arose on news that the Mount Washington Bike Park would not be operating this year.

For more information check out www.bearclawinvitational.com

Racing comes to Cumberland

uroc-events-2013Known for putting on some great events, the United Riders of Cumberland are hosting races on the following days.

  • April 14th – Island Cup XC
  • April 21st – Island Cup DH
  • June 15th – 12 Hours of Cumberland
  • Sept 15th – Island Cup Enduro

UROC also hosts weekly group rides and beginner rides.

Check out their website for more info.

www.unitedridersofcumberland.com

For more information on the Island Cup Race Series, check out their website at:

www.islandcupseries.com